


Phasma

by hereruha



Category: Jrock, the GazettE
Genre: Alternate Universe, Demons, Drama, Hybrids, I don't want to spoil so I can't tag too much, M/M, Romance, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-01-27 05:57:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12575200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hereruha/pseuds/hereruha
Summary: His past has been haunting Reita for a few weeks, and he can't seem to pinpoint why this is happening now, after years of somewhat peace. Uruha on the other hand might have an idea as to what is troubling his best friend, but it might only stir more trauma.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a native speaker.

_“Akira!”_

_The blond boy spun around when he heard the scream laced with fear and distress. His eyes widened when he saw his friend being dragged back in the shadows, tears running down his cheeks. His arms were stretched out towards the blond while he kicked his legs in the air, trying to get away, in vain._

_“Taka!” he yelled, running towards the black-haired boy._

_This couldn’t be happening, not now, not when they were so close to escaping. However, he came to a full stop the moment he reached the line between daylight and the shadows. If he went back in there, he would go back to being a slave. As much as he loved his friend, he couldn’t make himself go through all that again. He finally had a chance to taste freedom, wasting that to go back in there… Nothing would make him do such a thing._

_“I’m sorry,” he whispered, watching how his little friend’s expression changed as it dawned upon him that Akira wouldn’t help him get back into the light._

_He turned around, wiping away the tears that were gathering at the corners of his eyes. He looked up at the clear blue winter sky, breathed in sharply and started running again, this time away from the shadows. The ear-splitting scream that soon followed made him break down into tears, and this time no matter how much he wiped at his eyes, the flow of tears wouldn’t stop. He tripped on a root, landing heavily in the snow. He knew what that scream meant. He clutched at the hem of his t-shirt, shivering. He knew that if he had been more careful, that if he had checked on Takanori while they were running away, they would both be out in broad daylight, safe. Instead of that, Takanori had been dragged back inside and killed by those monsters._

 

* * *

 

The ash-blond man sat up in bed, his breath stuck in his throat. He rubbed his eyes, groaning. His childhood memories had been haunting him for a few weeks now. He didn't understand how, after fifteen years, he was having such intense flashbacks. At the beginning, the first few months after his escape from the Underworld, he didn’t manage to sleep, too scared of what he would see if he closed his eyes and fell asleep. However, he had managed to get over that fear, he had managed to somehow put his past aside, or to at least not think about it too much. For some time he had managed to get back to a normal life, as normal as it could be in a world completely changed from the rising of creatures that humans never thought existed. He didn’t quite remember how life was before he was taken to the Underworld, he had escaped at nine years old, but he had been there for five years. His memories from before that time were blurry, if not non-existent. He couldn’t remember what his parents looked like, nor where they used to live before everything changed, before he was kidnapped.

The man let himself fall back on his bed, sighing heavily. He still felt guilty about abandoning Takanori back then, but what could he have done? They both knew that if they were caught before reaching sunlight, they were dead. They knew the risks. Moreover, he had learnt later on that nobles could actually go out in the sunlight, his escape was due to pure luck.

“Still dreaming about him?”

He looked at his friend lying in the other bed, on the opposite side of the room.

“Did I wake you up?” he asked, not replying to the other’s question.

“No, I couldn’t sleep anyway,” replied the honey blond. “Now,” he said, standing up. “Will you answer my question? Were you dreaming about him again?”

The ash-blond man stared at the ceiling, not uttering a word.

“You know, those dreams could be more than just your guilt resurfacing,” continued his friend, sitting on the floor next to the ash blond’s bed.

“I don’t see what else it could be, Takanori’s dead.”

“Reita, you’ve no idea if he is,” sighed the honey blond.

“I heard him scream,” retorted Reita, glaring at the other. “Trust me, after spending so much time down there, I could tell it wasn’t just pain and anguish. I’ve heard too many people die there.”

The honey blond looked away, biting his lower lip. He knew he had to tell Reita what he had been feeling lately, but how was he supposed to make the other believe him when he was so adamant about his childhood friend’s death? He didn’t think Takanori was dead, he actually believed that Reita had decided to interpret that scream as one of death, he had decided what he wanted to hear, but was that reality? There was a reason to why the honey blond couldn’t sleep, and it weren’t Reita’s nightmares that were keeping him up at night.

“Listen, I know you’re not really sensitive to energies, but there’s a reason why I barely sleep lately.”

Reita raised an eyebrow, looking at his friend questioningly.

“There’s something off, I can’t tell what it is, but something is disturbing the somewhat peace that had finally settled around here,” explained the honey blond, climbing on the other’s bed.

“I don’t get it, Tokyo is one of the rare cities that managed to make all species live together peacefully, what could possibly disturb this?” frowned the ash blond, sitting up.

“I don’t know…”

Reita stared at his friend for a moment, his frown deepening.

“Uruha, are you hiding something from me?”

The honey blond looked up, opening his mouth but almost instantly closing it. He heaved a sigh, knowing he would end up saying it anyway at some point.

“I know you’re convinced Takanori is dead…”

“He is,” stated the ash-blond man, his gaze hardening.

“But I don’t think he is,” continued Uruha, trying not to waver under Reita’s gaze.

“Uruha, I heard him **_die_**.”

“No,” retorted the honey blond. “You heard him **_scream_**. That scream could have meant a lot of things, not necessarily death.”

Reita scoffed, getting off the bed. He couldn’t believe Uruha was doubting him, doubting what he had perfectly heard.

“You’d rather think he’s dead than alive. Because if he’s alive, that means he’s still down there, being used over and over again,” said Uruha, his eyes following the other’s tense figure.

“We were livestock for them, nothing more, nothing less. They live in debauchery. They might look like a very sophisticated species in everyone’s eyes, but really, they’re just monsters. All they think about is themselves. Once you’ve been among them long enough, you can see right through that sickening polite smile,” uttered the ash-blond man, standing in front of the window.

Uruha shook his head, knowing it was useless to try to convince Reita of the opposite. Reita hated vampires from the bottom of his heart, and if it was up to him only, they’d all be burning already. The honey blond knew Reita was one of those who had it the worst when the Change happened, unlike him. Uruha was half nymph, half demon, so he was somehow part of the people who had changed everything for human beings. He was only a child when it happened, and considering his demon side didn’t seem to completely wake up, even after 25 years, he could have very well blent in with humans. However, he understood why other species wanted to finally be able to live in the open. For some, hiding their natural features in order to look human wasn’t easy, and it could even take a toll on their health.

“I know you don’t see it that way, you’re not human, but… I just don’t understand how vampires can go around the city freely. The government must know what happens in the Underworld,” said Reita, turning around to look at Uruha.

“They don’t actually know, or at least they choose to ignore it. The Underworld is… Humans can’t get involved in that,” sighed the honey blond, looking down at his hands. “You were in a vampire city, Reita, and vampires actually **_are_** part of the most sophisticated creatures down there. Of course they also think very highly of themselves, they’re very arrogant creatures, and humans will never be considered as their equals, but they’re not the worst, trust me.”

The ash blond leant against the windowsill, nodding slowly.

“And you’re not even human yourself,” pointed out the honey blond, smirking.

“Please, don’t remind me of that,” groaned the other, running a hand over his face.

“You can say whatever you want, it still saved your ass a few times.”

“I know, but that doesn't mean it will make it any easier for me, I was treated like livestock, and then I find out that I actually am an animal? It’s just…”

“But you’re a predator, you’re not a prey. And trust me, now that that side of you has awakened, vampires won’t want of your blood,” said Uruha, grinning at the other.

“It’s not like they can do something here, they can’t drink from someone unless they have their consent. Though I doubt they actually respect this rule…”

The honey blond was about to retort when a chill ran down his spine, making him freeze in his spot for a second. He barely had time to stand up that a loud bang rang in his sensitive ears. He looked at Reita, seeing the ash-blond man move, but not fast enough to avoid the bullet that shattered the window to pieces. It went straight through his friend’s shoulder before lodging itself in the wall.

Uruha straightened up, trying to sense who it was that had shot Reita, but the shooter’s presence was already gone. One thing was for sure, that person wasn't human. Never would have a human managed to get away that fast. Moreover, only a few creatures could move around that fast, so that narrowed the list too.

“What the hell was that?” Reita groaned in pain, clutching at his shoulder.

Uruha rushed to the ash blond and looked at the wound. He sighed in relief when he noticed that it was already healing, it meant the bullet wasn’t made of silver.

“Someone seems to have a grudge against you,” said the honey blond, now looking at the bullet. “A witch apparently,” he continued after taking the bullet out of the wall.

He knew for a fact that the symbol on the bullet could only come from witchcraft, although he couldn't tell what it meant. He never really wanted to get involved with witches. As much as people called demons and vampires wicked, cunning and dangerous, witches could be worse, so much worse. They could have power over other people, they could manipulate in ways that even the most experienced demon couldn’t. Witches used to actually frighten Uruha when he was a child. He knew some were good and chose to help, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t change their mind. He'd rather stay away from them.

“A witch? I’ve never met a witch in my life,” frowned Reita, sitting on his bed, rubbing his hurt shoulder.

The honey blond sniffed the bullet, frowning slightly.

“I know this scent…” he muttered.

He couldn't tell who it was, but he knew he had already smelled it somewhere, he just couldn’t remember where.

“A witch wouldn’t shoot you like that, you must have done something,” said Uruha.

“I’m telling you, I’ve never met a witch in my entire life,” sighed the ash blond man.

“Is there anyone you’ve met since you escaped from the Underworld, whose true nature you don't know?” asked the honey blond, putting the bullet on his night stand.

“No, I know for a fact that none of them were witches,” replied the other.

Uruha stared at his friend, feeling sorry for what he was about to say.

“Then…”

“Don’t say it,” whispered Reita.

“It’s someone from your past.”

The ash blond grabbed his head, closing his eyes. From what he knew, all the people he knew from the Underworld were either human, either vampire. However, considering he had found out that he had werewolf blood after getting out of there, he couldn’t be sure of anything concerning his former friends.

“Do you have something that belonged to Takanori?” asked Uruha, sitting next to his friend.

He didn’t like where this was going, but this was the only explanation to the bad feeling he had had for weeks now. Those negative energies had to come from someone, someone new around here.

Reita opened the drawer of his night stand and took out a scarf. This was the only thing he had from Takanori. When they got to know each other in the Underworld, when they had become friends, they had exchanged items. This way, they said they wouldn’t feel completely alone when it was time for the feast, there would be something they would be able to hold onto. Takanori had given Reita a burgundy scarf, one he apparently always had with him, even before being brought to the Underworld, and Reita had given Takanori a wristband he had made himself.

He gave the scarf to Uruha. He cocked an eyebrow when the honey blond directly started sniffing the fabric, wondering what his friend was up to. If he wanted to follow the shooter’s track, then he could just let Reita do it because the ash blond still had a better sense of smell than the honey blond. He just tried to ignore it, not wanting to really acknowledge his werewolf side.

The look Uruha gave him made a chill run down the ash blond’s spine, no matter what Uruha had found out, it wasn’t good.

“I don’t know if it’s good or bad news,” uttered the honey blond, avoiding to look him in the eye.

“Just spit it out,” sighed Reita.

Uruha closed his eyes, breathed in and then said it. Reita felt like his whole world was crumbling to pieces, he couldn't believe what the honey blond was telling him. It couldn’t be true, there was no way that was true.

“If you don’t believe me, just smell them,” said Uruha, handing back the scarf to his friend before standing up to get the bullet.

Reita inhaled Takanori’s scent from the scarf, although it wasn’t really needed because he knew the black-haired boy’s scent by heart. They had been together for so long, it sometimes felt like that scent actually lingered on him too. He then grabbed the bullet and sniffed it. He dropped everything the moment he could go past the smell of his own blood.

“I’m sorry, but Takanori’s alive, and he’s a witch,” said Uruha, feeling his heart break as he witnessed the colour drain from Reita’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween!
> 
> This isn't a Halloween fanfic, I know, and I don't really do themed fanfics anyway, but well, I thought I'd still post it today! It won't be a long one, I even have most of it written, but I won't be posting with a specific schedule. I'll just post when I feel like it.
> 
> As always, I'm really bad at choosing titles so... Please don't mind it, haha. But for the curious ones, this is a Latin word (and it's pretty much the same in Ancient Greek) that generally means ghost.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter!
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated ♡


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a native speaker.

“It can’t be Takanori.”

Uruha sighed as Reita repeated this for the umpteenth time. The honey blond knew what he had felt and what he had smelled, Reita also couldn’t deny that the shooter’s scent was the same as Takanori’s from years ago. It had been two hours already, he just had to come to terms with it. How would he react when he would have to face his childhood friend if he already was in such denial now? The ash blond’s whole world would shatter to pieces, although it probably already was crumbling by now. Uruha could feel the other was desperate, lost, although he tried to hide it.

“Reita, you know very well it’s him, it’s the same scent as the scarf,” finally uttered the hybrid. “He survived, you have to accept it.”

“How would he have survived? Uruha, he would be twenty-two now, I've never heard of anyone making it out of vampire cities,” retorted the ash-blond man, jumping from one roof to another, trying to follow the other’s tracks, which was unfortunately spread all over the city. “And I’ve been out for fifteen years. Not once have I heard of anyone escaping besides me.”

“Nobody except…”

“Vampires, I know,” growled the werewolf, glaring at his best friend. “But he’s a witch, you said it yourself, so this doesn’t make any sense.”

“I never said it did,” replied the honey blond, rolling his eyes. “But you haven’t seen even half of what’s truly going on in the Underworld, Reita, and you don’t want to know what actually happens down there, trust me.”

Reita came to a halt, looking around frantically. His senses were overwhelmed all of a sudden, he didn’t know where to look nor where to smell. It felt like someone was messing with him, there was too much information for him to process, so much it had to be on purpose. Was Takanori trying to cover his tracks? And if so, why now? They had already lost two hours because the witch’s tracks had been purposely spread all over Tokyo, and now there was just too much.

“Reita?”

Uruha stopped next to the other, slightly worried by his sudden stop.

“He’s messing with me.”

“Messing with you?” frowned the honey blond.

“His tracks were already very faint, I was following magic more than his scent, but now… There’s just too much, it goes in every direction,” explained Reita, grimacing as he tried to focus on one lead. “There’s his scent, there’s his magic… It’s all over the place, it’s too strong.”

Uruha looked ahead, noticing that the sun was rising. He scratched the back of his head, humming softly. The only explanation to Reita’s confusion was that they were getting close, too close. It must have been one of Takanori’s tricks to protect himself, or at least to make whatever enemy he had lose time in order for him to escape before he was caught.

“We’re in another residential area, he must be living somewhere around here. That would explain how you feel.”

“You think we’re that close?” asked the ash blond, still looking around. “He disappeared in the blink of an eye after he shot me, then made us go around the city for two hours. He should know that we’d follow him and wouldn’t abandon, that **_I_** wouldn’t abandon. Why would he stop?” he frowned.

“Reita, we’ve no idea what Takanori really wants, I told you I felt strong negative feelings, but that doesn’t exactly tell me what he wants, all it did was disturb the neighbourhood’s peace. Who knows, maybe he wants to meet you again,” suggested the honey blond with a shrug.

“Meet me again? Why shoot me then?” retorted the half-werewolf, rolling his eyes.

“You did abandon him when you were children,” pointed out his best friend, trying not to sound to judgmental. Reita had just wanted to save himself back then, Uruha probably would have done the same. However, a chill still ran down his spine at the thought, vampires were sadistic creatures. “Who knows what happened to him after you escaped? Vampires don’t take it very well when people rebel, they probably punished him for **_both_** of you.”

“Are you trying to make me feel better or worse right now?”

The honey blond rose an eyebrow, scoffing softly in disbelief.

“Rei, I can’t make you feel good about abandoning a **_defenceless child_** to vampires,” he said, crossing his arms. “They are the best of the worst you can meet, granted, but that’s when they’re in a good mood. When they’re mad… I’m sure you know how they can be when they’re pissed off.”

The ash blond, closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. Of course he knew, he had experienced it first-hand, but it had never been for something like trying to escape. He had no idea what kind of punishment humans, **_livestock_** , received for trying to escape. Considering what he had to endure for stealing food, he wasn’t sure he wanted to imagine it. There was a reason why he thought Takanori had been killed back then, it wasn't just his subconscious deciding it was better for him in order to deal with what he had done, it also was the only punishment he could come up with for what they had done. However, Takanori was here, very much alive apparently.

“ _Aki…_ ”

Reita’s head snapped up when he heard that soft murmur, his eyes turning gold and gleaming.

“Reita?”

Uruha looked at him, confused.

“ _Akira…_ ”

He looked to the side, where one of the magical trails led to. He didn’t even bother responding to his best friend as he ran in that direction and jumped down the building, leaving behind a completely dumbfounded honey blond. This voice wasn’t the same as his childhood friend’s, obviously he had grown up, but there was this tone to it when he said his name… Only Takanori uttered it that way.

Before he knew it he was running up the stairs of a residential building. He could feel the other’s presence getting stronger, so much actually that he didn’t notice how off it felt.

He burst into a flat, but froze in his spot when he noticed some ruffling and gleaming eyes set on him, the door closing behind him. They were surrounded by darkness, dark heavy curtains covering the windows. Only thanks to his werewolf blood did his vision quickly adapt, and then he really saw him, the one person he never thought he’d ever see again. He was sitting in a large armchair, his legs crossed. Reita barely noticed how the other’s hair had turned platinum blond and how his eyes shone a weird shade of purple, like amethysts, for his attention was set on the gun that was pointed at him.

Then another feeling overcame him; hostility. There was something about the other that triggered his werewolf side, something utterly unnatural, it definitely wasn’t the threat of the gun. It didn’t take him long to understand what it was, because he knew only one thing could trigger his natural instincts so violently. A vampire.

He growled, which, to his surprise, elicited a laugh from the other.

“You really are an animal,” uttered the platinum-blond man, slowly standing up, the sound of his heels clacking on the ground as he slowly walked around the coffee table deafening to Reita’s ears.

He didn’t move when he felt the muzzle of the gun on his chest, right above his heart. He locked eyes with the other’s amethyst-like orbs, the smaller man flashing him his fangs as he smirked and licked his dark-painted lips.

“I guess this is a nightmare coming true, isn’t it, _Akira_?” continued the other, a hand reaching for the half-werewolf’s partly-covered face. “You probably hoped that I was gone after so many years,” he sought, stroking his cheek, his claws ever so slightly scratching his skin.

“H–How?” finally managed to ask the ash-blond man, feeling like the other’s eyes were pinning him down in his spot.

“I think it’s pretty obvious,” sighed the other with a shrug, taking a few steps back, away from his childhood friend, although not lowering his gun.

“Uruha said you were a witch,” frowned the taller man.

Takanori softly chuckled, his eyes gleaming.

“He’s not wrong,” he said, snapping his fingers as he uttered those words, lighting some candles all around the room. “I am a witch, just… A bit different, let’s put it that way.”

Reita stared at the purple flames, not quite sure how all this was possible.

“Vampires **_love_** experimenting,” continued the platinum bond, lighting the fireplace too. “Me trying to escape gave them the perfect excuse to **_finally_** experiment on me,” he explained, the gun in his hand disappearing in purple smoke.

“It still doesn’t make sense. You’re using magic right now, but you’re giving me–”

“Vampire vibes?” interrupted Takanori, sitting back in his armchair. “Of course,” he smirked, grabbing a bottle that was on the coffee table, Reita noticing that the gun Takanori had in hand before was now right next to the bottle. “It’s not like you make me want to lick you up either.”

“I don’t get it, you should be dead,” said the half-werewolf, scrunching up his nose at the horrible smell that came from the bottle when the other opened it, ignoring his last comment.

“Who said I wasn’t?” retorted the witch, pouring the dark liquid in a glass of wine. “Come sit down, you’re not going anywhere until I want you to.”

Reita’s eyes slightly widened. He spun on his heels and grabbed the doorknob, but it was useless. No matter how much strength he used, the door wouldn’t budge, he really was stuck in here for as long as his childhood friend wanted. He turned around and glared at the platinum blond, a growl escaping his lips.

“Akira, just sit down,” said the other, annoyance clear in his tone. “You can turn this place upside down, you still won’t be able to get out as long as I don’t want you to.”

The half-werewolf sighed as he slowly made his was to the couch. He sat down, the coffee table the only separation between him and the other, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“So, you’re dead then?” he asked, frowning as he noticed how the other smiled mysteriously.

“It depends, do you think vampires are dead?” asked the platinum-blond man.

“Their hearts don’t beat,” he replied.

“So?” Takanori quirked an eyebrow.

“So yes, vampires are dead.”

“Well then,” started the other, taking a sip of his drink. “I guess I’m indeed dead.”

“Vampires also can’t use magic, they’re unholy or I don’t know what, so how can you?” frowned Reita.

“Unholy, huh?” smiled the other, shaking his head. “I told you already, vampires love to experiment. None of the children that survived as long as we did were simple humans, Akira.”

“So what? We were all test subjects?”

“In a way, you could say so.”

Reita frowned, still not quite sure he understood. If they were all some test subjects for vampires, then why had they been treated like blood bags the whole time he was down there? It didn’t make sense. Vampires could very easily experiment on them, they were children, most of them way too young to resist or know what was truly going on.

“They couldn’t experiment as long as our non-human side was dormant,” said Takanori, as if he could read Reita’s mind. “That’s why they never experimented on you, and also because they still needed to justify those experiments to the Underworld authorities. Believe it or not, they weren’t too keen on experimenting on children, that’s why vampires didn’t do much when you were down there.”

“How did they justify what they did to you, then?” frowned Reita.

“They didn’t,” snorted the platinum blond. “They said turning me was the only way to keep me alive after a serious, life-threatening, accident. As far as the Underworld government knows, I’m an anomaly, my witch gene somehow mixed well with the vampire gene, but it wasn’t done on purpose,” he shrugged, putting down his empty glass.

“But you’re not really an anomaly, or at least not the way they think you are.”

“Of course not,” snorted the witch. “I was experimented on for years, I only finally got my freedom back a few months ago.”

“A few months ago,” repeated the ash blond in disbelief.

“Not everybody has the chance to escape before it’s too late, Akira,” sighed Takanori, leaning back in his armchair, closing his eyes. “Everybody isn’t that lucky.”

Reita stared at his childhood friend. There still was something off about him, but he couldn’t tell what for sure. There was something missing in the other, but what?

“Why did you shoot me?”

Takanori opened his eyes, making Reita freeze in his spot for a split second. He blinked a few times, then looked back at his childhood friend, but his eyes were purple again. Had it been his imagination? He was sure they had been white and gleaming.

“There was something carved in the bullet, a symbol. Uruha said it had to do with witchcraft, but he had no idea what,” he continued, locking eyes with the other.

“It’s nothing for you to worry about,” replied the hybrid, waving his hand dismissively.

“You’re kidding me?” The half-werewolf stood up as he spoke. “ ** _You shot me, Takanori_** ,” he growled, reaching out for the other over the coffee table. He grabbed him by his collar and forced him to stand up.

The platinum-blond hybrid stared at him through his dishevelled bangs, stone-faced.

“It’s Ruki.”

The ash blond’s eyebrows knitted together.

“Takanori is dead, _**Reita**_.”

“How do–”

“You don’t need to know,” cut him off the smaller man, suddenly disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke. “The Change isn’t over yet, Reita,” he continued, reappearing near the fireplace. “By the end of it, humans will all be dead, as well as half-humans.”

The half-werewolf turned around, confused.

“Witches have been working in the shadows for a long time. They know what their reputation is among most creatures, but they’re not completely heartless, even those who use black magic. They won’t let a whole race disappear just like that, nature’s balance will be destroyed if it happens.”

“That doesn’t explain why you shot me,” frowned Reita.

“Actually, it does,” sighed Ruki, rubbing his temples. “I know you don’t like being half-werewolf, but without the spell I cast on that bullet… You’ll either end up dead, or back in a vampire city.”

“A spell?”

“You don’t need to know, Reita, just stay out of this,” replied the platinum blond with a heavy sigh. “Let the witches take care of everything.”

“Ruki, what spell?” insisted the taller man, taking a few steps towards the other.

The platinum-blond man groaned, running a hand through his hair.

“I diluted your human blood,” he ended up uttering, exasperated.

“Diluted? What do you mean?”

“Soon, you won’t be half-human anymore,” explained Ruki. “I do resent you for abandoning me back then, but I also understand why you did it, and I can’t let you die just because you’re not a pureblood.”

“What about all the others who are like me? You can’t decide who to save, Ruki,” retorted Reita, shaking his head disapprovingly. “You can’t pick who has the right to survive.”

“I still care about you,” whispered the smaller man.

The ash blond stared at the other, slightly taken aback by the sudden confession.

“You were all I had back then, I kept on going thanks to you, those feelings don’t just… disappear,” sighed Ruki, crossing his arms as he looked away. “I hated you for a while, you had abandoned me after all. You looked me straight in the eye and turned your back to me,” he continued, still not looking at the half-werewolf. “But when they started the experiments… You wouldn’t wish that on your worst enemy, trust me. So in the end, I was glad you at least had the chance to escape.”

The witch snapped his fingers, a distinct click reverberating in the room.

“You’re free to go.”

“What?”

Reita gaped at the other, not believing it. He had just dumped all this on him, and now he was telling him to leave? Reita had just learnt about the possible end of the human race as well as of all of his half-human friends, and all Ruki did now was letting him go, not uttering another word. The platinum blond just stared at him blankly.

“Are you serious?” scoffed the half-werewolf. “Do you think you’re the only one who was hurting the past fifteen years? I still have nightmares about our lives down there, I felt guilty for leaving you behind. Now here you are, appearing out of nowhere, shooting me with god knows what, and then you tell me it’s for my own good otherwise I’ll die. Do you really expect me to just **_leave_**?”

A sad smiled spread Ruki’s plump lips.

“I don’t, but I wish you would,” he replied.

“We’re the rare ones who got out of there, we should stay together.”

“But you didn’t go through what I did,” retorted Ruki, his purple eyes turning red as he bared his fangs, hissing. “Don’t even try this, Reita. You escaped before anything too bad could happen to you, you escaped before they went on a rampage on everybody, so don’t, just don’t even try.”

Reita took a step back, he hadn’t expected the other to get mad all of a sudden. He clearly had struck a chord.

“Your nightmares are **_nothing_** , do you hear me? I’d rather have your nightmares and your fucking guilt than the memories of our friends torn apart, **_all of them dead_** ,” he growled, Reita taking another step back when the hybrid took a step forward. “You got here because I let you, now get the hell out of here!”

“Ruki, just–”

“Get the fuck out!”

The platinum blond’s eyes suddenly turned white. Before he could do anything, Reita’s skin was burning, like he was on fire, and then he was out of the flat, lost as to what had just happened. He looked down, his eyes widening when he realised there actually was smoke leaving his body, a mark appearing on his left hand.

“What the hell did they turn him into?” he groaned, looking up at the building he was in just a few seconds earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaack! *out*  
> No really, I wish I could write and update more often, but moving back to Belgium changed quite a lot. I've more classes, I've been sick, I've been travelling... But I still found some time to finish this!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, a lot was revealed as you can see ♡ 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated ♡


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